Caught In a Sandstorm
by TheArchAngel'sDemoness
Summary: The Kazekage is on of the most powerful men in the ninja world. Nara Shikamaru is the fastest mind in the legendary Konohagakure. When these two forces of Nature meet, what will the results be? GaaraXShika
1. Author's Note

_**Author's Note**_

A word to my readers: I apologize for the flood of updates and false hope that this tidal wave is about to bring. All of my older stories were removed because they involved my old pen name, "Bitch". I am re-uploading them. I apologize for the inconvenient flood and do hope that you keep reading my stories. I hope all of you have wonderful days.

My Best,

Demoness


	2. Arrival and Overprotective Brothers

_[Bitch: Yeah, I know. It's been a while. But be proud of me. I'm updating a whole new story/request. I got this request back in February. This couple was a surprise when he told me what it was. I'd never considered it, so forgive me if they are not in character. I've never written either character before. This is Jack L's Halloween gift. Love you, sweetie, sorry it took so long. I hope the rest of you enjoy it._

_Disclaimer: If you're reading this on FF, you know I don't own it. That's the whole point... ._

_Warning: Boy love. Don't like. Don't read. Simple. Flames will be ignored.]_

_Shikamaru's POV_

_How troublesome..._ I sighed. The trip to Suna was always incredibly long, even when I traveled alone. It was always so dry and hot that it was to the point of past unpleasant, as I had told Tsunade. The chuunin exams were _always_ troublesome. And I somehow always got stuck with them. The woman I was always partnered with was just like my mother. I liked Temari and she was alright to work with, but she was still a troublesome woman.

I trudged through the bone dry desert. I was making the trip by myself because others would have slowed me down. I took a canteen out of my pack and jugged half as the walls came into view. I picked up my pace, telling myself it was because I wanted to the godforsaken sand out of my shoes.

I stopped short of the walls when a guard called, "Name and business."

"Nara Shikamaru," I shouted back. "I have chuunin business with the Kazekage."

"You may pass."

I waved a hand and continued through. The kage's tower/bubble came into view soon enough. My stomach bottomed out. I didn't even want to question why. I didn't really want to know. For some ungodly reason, I started jogging through the streets. They almost reminded me of Konoha but there were no trees and a certain blonde idiot was missing. I looked up as I ran at the little windows in the tower's curbed walls. My vision panned up to the sky. Not a damn cloud in sight. I hadn't seen a ball of fluff in two days. _Damn._ I resigned myself to the next month of cloudless days. How did they stand it? I came up with the answer as soon as I'd asked the question, _They don't have an unquiet brain like you do. That's why, you baka. _I hated the cloudless skies, but the Kazekage made them worthwhile. He was smart, quiet and we played shogi when he found the time. We spent a lot of nights together. He was far less troublesome than his sister.

I walked up the curved halls. Temari intercepted me half-way up. "Hello, troublesome woman." I grinned. Old habits die hard.

She smiled. It was still kind of scary when she did that. "Guess you're here to see my cranky-ass brother?"

"I am going to assume it's Kankuro's fault?" She grinned. "Of course, he has to piss him off the day I get here." I shook my head.

She laughed in the throaty way she had that told me she was truly amused. "Come on. He's in his office." She turned and walked beside me. "How long are you staying this time?"

I grimaced for show. "Until the chuunin exams."

She looked startled. "But that's a month from now!"

"Very good. Glad to see you can read a calendar." I grinned when she glared at me. I shrugged. "Tsunade-sama decided I needed a working vacation. It's not like I have a choice." Actually, I had had a choice. She didn't have to know that though. Plus, I'd told Tsunade that I would stay in Suna to keep from sending messengers back and forth.

"True. So I have to put up with your lazy ass for a month, eh?" she grinned. "Think you can handle it?"

I groaned playfully and rolled me head over on my shoulder, looking at her. "Why the hell does it have to be you, troublesome woman?"

She laughed again. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. You know we work well together."

"Unfortunately," I grumbled.

We finally arrived at the Kazekage's office. "Well, here you are." She turned to look at me. "Go see if you can get him in a better mood." She grinned and left.

"Damn woman," I muttered with an affectionate smile. As much as we bickered, I still liked her. I turned back to the doors to his office. I heard voices, but I knocked anyway. He knew I was here. The talking stopped. The door opened and four men and two women came out. I recognized them as the council. "Come in, Nara," I heard him say. Command was in his voice. He was _not_ in a good mood. I made a mental note to kick Kankuro's ass later.

I sighed and stepped forward, ready to handle any collateral damage, closing the doors behind me. He was standing in front of his desk, arms crossed. His cool green eyes watched me. When I'd taken about six steps, his façade fell away and he flew into my arms. I stumbled but wrapped my arms around him. "I'm so glad you're here," he mumbled into my collar. I felt that weird sensation in my stomach again, but I pushed it away and squeezed his waist.

"Yeah," I sighed into his crimson hair. "Me too." We stood there for a long while, just holding each other. As usual, it had been too damn long since I'd seen him.

He finally, slowly released me. He tugged on my hand and led me to his chair. "Sit?" he almost stated. He'd never even think of ordering me around. It wasn't that I was aversive toward being uke. It was just, he was always in control of so much and he liked placing the control in someone else's hands. Namely mine.

I humoured him and sat. He moved in front of me and straddled my thighs. He pressed himself close. I'd missed the warm heat of his body so close to mine. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and nuzzled my nose into the bend between his shoulder and neck. He smelled of jasmine and heat. He could smell of summer sun even during the depths of winter. I kissed the pale flesh and looked up into his misty green eyes. My hand lifted of its own accord and stroked his cheek. He hand fine facial features. He was more attractive than even Naruto who had a kind of bright sturdiness about him. No, my Kazekage was of a different shade. He was a shaft of crimson moonlight, where Naruto was summer sunlight. Both beautiful. On subtle. The other, obnoxiously bright. Sasuke was Naruto's yang. He needed that balance. So did I. That's why I had my Kage.

He gave me a small smile. A real one that so very few got to see. My stomach did that twisty jig again. I'd save my thoughts on that for when I could be alone. At present, I had him in my arms again. I wasn't really too troubled with my body acting weird at the moment.

I cupped the back of his head and brought his mouth down to mine. I kissed him slowly. The hurried, hungry ones would come later when we were truly alone. Now was all about me relearning his mouth and the soft noises he made when I nipped his lip. My hands slid down his back slowly to cup his slender hips. If I calculated correctly, he'd gained a bit of weight, which, for him, was a good thing. With my hold, I shifted him closer. Six weeks was forever when you missed someone.

A tentative knock came at the door.

And sometimes, you had to wait a bit longer. Gaara's pale eyes glared over his shoulder at the poor bastard on the other side. He stood reluctantly, straightening his robes. I stood and quickly strode to the other side of the desk.

"Very well," he enunciated. "You will lodge with us until one week after the chuunin exams, as per Tsunade's request. You may stay in the rooms you previously inhabited on your last visit. I trust you remember where they are. If you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to." With his eyes, he was pleading with me, begging me to come up with an idea to explain why I would be in his rooms later.

"As you wish, Kage-sama. I will meet you for that game of shogi you own me from last time whenever you find the time." I bowed, never taking my eyes off him. He looked relieved. "Good afternoon, Kazekage-sama." With a final look, I turned and left. As I left, a shaky looking genin came in with a bag over his shoulder. I felt sorry for him.

My customary rooms were located six doors down from the Kazekage's. Convenient, no? I found them to be in much the same condition I had left them in. Clean, tidy, rather homey. I even found a bath waiting for me, which I was extremely thankful for. I hated how sand got _everywhere_. I scrubbed and went to meditate on my bed. There was much for me to consider. I had a whole month to figure things out but why wait?

I considered the strange feeling I'd felt when I'd seen the tower. What had that been? I searched for a similar feeling in my past. The answer was surprising. _Home coming. Going home and being welcomed by people that cared for me._ I suppose that made some sort of sense. I had spent a considerable amount of time in Suna. So why had I started jogging? Me, of all people. Notoriously lazy and perpetually uncaring. Then I'd felt that same emotion when Gaara had flown into my arms. _Why had I felt that? Why then? Was it possible that my sense of home was changing? _Coming from an academic stand-point, it was entirely plausible. _But why?_

I considered if for a long time, trying out different theories. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightening. The running, the feeling, the wish for his heat pressed tight against me.

_Oh...Fuck.._... I was in love with him_._

I opened my eyes. _When had that happened?_ A little piece of my brain told me somewhere between all of the late night shogi, the debates, the sex and the sleeping in the same bed together. "Well... Damn.." I said to myself. "What do I do now?"

"Well, that depends..." a voice said from my doorway.

I looked up to see Kankuro, sans the purple markings, leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he said innocently.

I snorted. "I meant in my rooms."

He shrugged. "Came to talk to you." He came across and flopped unceremoniously down next to me.

I raised an eyebrow. "About?"

"My brother?"

"What about the Kazekage?"

"How long have you two been fucking?"

I didn't jerk away like I wanted to. "What the hell are you talking about?" Was he fishing or did he know something?

"Well, you see," he leaned back and stretched out, putting on an exaggerated thinking face. "My brother has been in a bad mood for a few days. I went to see him about an hour ago and the fucker smiled at me. Gaara doesn't smile on a good day. So... I've come to the conclusion that he either got someone to bleed or he's getting laid. Seeing as you're not physically battered and you were the last one to see him and you're the only new thing that has happened in about a week, I'm betting he's screwing you."

I told my brain that there was no reason to blush but my face heated anyway. His deductive reasoning was powerful. But, no good deed goes unpunished. I grinned. "You're wrong."

He snorted. "How do you figure?"

I stood and walked toward my sitting area. Looking over my shoulder, I said, "_I'm _screwing_ him._" I laughed when I saw his jaw drop in my peripheral vision. I went and sat on the window went over-looking the village. I missed home already, but I was so glad to be here that it didn't really hit me as hard as it usually did. I had a feeling my recent revelation had something to do with that.

Kankuro stalked over to stand in front of where I was sitting. "That's bullshit. Gaara would never let anyone dominate him."

"Never say never." I smiled, still looking out the window. "Look at it from his perspective. He's one of the most powerful men in our world. He has to be in control _at all times_." I looked up at my lover's brother. "If you had that much responsibility, wouldn't you want to feel as if someone else were in charge of _something_, even if it meant it was you they were in charge of?"

He sat down next to me, look at his laced fingers. "So what you're trying to tell me is that, because he's Kazekage, he's your bitch." I flinched at the word. I'd _never _thought of him that way.

"In short, yes," I ground out.

He sat back against the wall. "It makes sense in a fucked up way." He looked over at me. "You know, if you hurt him, I have to kill you."

I let my head sink back against the wall. "You know, Kankuro, I have a feeling that it won't be your brother's heart that will be the one breaking."

He sat up like he'd been jabbed. "What do you mean?"

I spread my hands. "I'm in love with your brother."

He looked as if I'd slapped him. "Since when?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, I'd just made the discovery when you so rudely interrupted, but, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say for a couple of years."

His jaw dropped again, leaving him gob-smacked. "Years?"

I nodded. "We've had a relationships of sorts for a year, but we played shogi and talked long before that. I'm actually surprised that I didn't see this before now. Hindsight is twenty-twenty thought." I shrugged.

"How can you be so nonchalant! You're in love with my brother!"

"Well, it's not like I could change it anyway, so why worry. And it's not really a surprise. When you respect someone like I respect your brother, and are, at the same time, sleeping with said person, you're bound to develop feelings for them. Mine just go deeper than a normal person's might."

"You and your damned logical brain," he grumbled. "So," he said a bit louder, "what are you going to do now?"

I shrugged. "Probably play it by ear. There is no real strategy for love."

_[Bitch: Look! I finished chapter one! Yay me! Hope you liked it. Stick around for chapter two. Should be up as soon as I can type it. :D Love you Jack! Leave me a review, lovelies.]_


	3. Words I Thought I Would Never Hear

_[Bitch: Here it is, chapter two. As promised. Jack, this is the good stuff. Hope you like it. I less than three you. Thanks for the challenging prompt._

_Disclaimer: Yeah... yeah... you know I don't own it. Just the idea and my adorable little Jack who gave me the idea._

_Warning: Boy love. The following pairing are depicted as older than 18.. Don't like. Don't read. You flame, I will ignore you.]_

_Shikamaru's POV_

Not long after Kankuro left, a messenger arrived with a note requesting a game of shogi from the Kazekage. I told the young nin he could go. The note said his rooms so I headed to the right and walked the short distance. My stomach was jumpy and my hands shook slightly. I told them that he was still the same Gaara, my Gaara. They didn't want to hear it and kept right on shaking.

I reached the blank wooden door in moments. Something so simple shouldn't have intimidated me so much. I'd faced far more fearsome things than a door, but then I'd also never had a stare down with Love. Taking a deep breath, I raised a hand and rapped softly on the door.

"Please come in," came the reply.

I opened the door slowly. He was sitting at this eating table. The lights were low. Sunset light poured the windows. He rose slowly when I stepped through the door. I closed it without looking away from him, flipping the lock. I couldn't take my eyes off him. He'd changed out of his Kage robes into his formfitting scarlet battle fatigues. The colour highlighted his hair and lit his eyes. He moved around the table and came to stand in front of me. His jade eyes were big in his face. The dark circles that surrounded them seemed to make them lighter. He raised a hand to my face. I leaned against it, rubbing my cheek on his palm. He gave me a small smile. "Welcome back, Shika-san."

I gently took his wrist in my hand. I turned my face and kissed his calloused palm without breaking eye-contact. "It's good to be back." I pulled him to me. I bent to his ear. "I missed you." _More than you can know,_ I finished in my head. I pulled away slightly, resting my forehead against his tattooed one. He was smiling.

"I missed you, too, Shikamaru." My name on his lips did odd things to my stomach.

I nudged his face up with a finger and pressed my lips to his. _I'm home_, I thought. I nipped his lip. He groaned softly and opened for me, letting me slip my tongue into his mouth, teasing him.

I pulled away. His eyes were half-lidded and his lip was slightly swollen. "Shika-sama..." he murmured. That's all it took for my self-restraint to break. I grabbed him up to me but the thighs and lifted him to wrap his legs around my waist. He locked his fingers behind my neck and kissed me. I made my way to his bedroom, miraculously, without tripping. Without turning on a single light, I kicked the door closed. Closing in on the bed, he released my lips. I saw well enough with the dusk light that he was blushing in excitement. His erection pressed against my lower belly. I felt my own straining against my pants, pushing against his ass. I laid him on the bed, falling with him. I kissed him again. He nipped my lip and I felt blood well to the surface. He sucked on the cut. The pulling sensation sent tingles straight to my cock. I moaned. He let me go with a final swipe of his tongue.

I began to unbuckle his fatigues and he pulled the zipper of my vest down. His fingers slipped into it and danced over my ribs, causing me to shiver. I finally freed the last buckle on his red favoured bit of clothing. I sat up and threw my vest away. It made a solid thunking noise when it hit the floor. I slid a hand under his back and pulled him up to me. Chest to chest, I felt his breathing and his rapid heartbeat. The cloth fell away from his shoulders, leaving his neck vulnerable. I took advantage and pressed my mouth to his bare skin. Grazing him with my teeth and nipping at his pulse made him shudder.

He struggled out of the top and threw it on top of my vest. His fingers untied my hair ribbon, letting my hair free. His fingers felt so wonderful stroking through it. He held me to his throat. I grinned and nipped harder on his shoulder, leaving a love-bite. Every possessive part of me roared, _Mine!_

I slipped my fingers under the fishnet shirt he wore, pushing it away. It, too, joined the growing pile of clothes. I kissed him and shifted our positions. I laid him down and slid myself between his slender legs, still clothed in black cotton. I rocked my hips against his, rubbing our clothed cocks together. He threw his head back, moaning. Seeing the usually emotionless former-jinchuriki with such as unadulterated expression was almost enough to make me lose my hold on my control. I kissed his jaw, sucking softly on the warm skin. He turned his mouth, searching for mine. Gladly, I reclaimed his soft lips with my own. His fingers pushed slowly through my hair, almost lulling me to sleep.

I pulled my mouth from his and laid my forehead to his collarbone. Lacing our fingers, I nipped the skin at the hollow of his throat. I rocked our clothed hips together again. He moaned at the pressure on his erection. I wasn't unaffected.

I slid my unoccupied hand down his stomach, tracing the faint lines of his muscles. He shuddered and the muscles twitched. He made a soft surprised sound. Almost as if he didn't quite remember what it was like to be touched. Of course, that was completely possible. I was the only person allowed to touch him. And it had been a while. I moved my mouth down his body over hot pale skin. I dipped my tongue into his navel. He jumped and I laid a kiss right below it, nestled in the downy hair there. A deeper shade of crimson that that on his head. He squeezed my fingers. He was eager. I saw it in his eyes when I looked up. I freed my fingers from his. I smoothed my rough fingers over the soft skin above his pant waist. Buttons are always a problem when I'm in a hurry so it ended up severed from his pants. Zippers were better. I slid the back fabric down over his pale legs. He had foregone underwear because he'd known where we would end up. His erection stood up, jockeying for my attention. His teal eyes burned. I leaned down and kissed a slender hip, a thigh, his happy trail, driving him crazy.

Finally, he broke, softly saying my name. He only did that when desperate.

I flicked my tongue over the weeping head of his cock and he jumped, hips surging slightly upward. Kami, it had been so long. Taking mercy on him, I clamped a hand down on his hip to keep him from choking me, I slid him into my mouth. He came when I stroked the vein underneath with my tongue. The hot come hit the back of my throat. It had been too long.

I gave his cock a lazy lick as I looked up at him. His face was flushed and he was breathing slightly harder. His eyes were half-lidded and his mouth was open. I ran my fingers lightly over the concavity that was his stomach as I slid back up his body to kiss him thoroughly. He had once told me that he liked the taste of himself in my mouth. His fingers found my zipper and made short work of my pants. We managed to work them off somehow without separating our mouths. After much wiggling and fumbling hands, our hips ground together, unrestrained. He laced his fingers through my unbound hair and pulled gently on it, creating a delicious contrast. I lifted my face slowly away from his, swooping back in repeatedly for pecks on his lips.

He was absolutely gorgeous, lying underneath me with a small smile on his puffy lips. The urge to tell him I loved him was so strong in that moment that I almost couldn't smother it before it pushed passed my lips.

Surprising me with a bit of forwardness, he took my fingers in his and brought them to his mouth. Slowly, he ran his tongue around first one, then two, making me buck my hips slowly into him to match his torturous rhythm. His mouth was a sin when it was wrapped around my cock. And my cock remembered. Wielding my lovingly laved fingers, I nudged his ivory legs apart. I kissed him solidly and pushed the first in. It had been a while so I waited a few moments before pushing in the second. After he nodded, I began to move them, scissoring them to properly stretch him. I curled my fingers into his tight heat and he arched up off the bed.

_Found it_, I thought smugly.

I stroked that spot a few more times before I withdrew my fingers and positioned my cock. I looked into those clear aqua eyes and slowly pushed into the soft body mine had missed so very much.

Those teal, truthful eyes told me that I could say it as I was fully sheathed in his supple being. It was into those eyes that I said the three words I had been stewing over for most of the day.

His honest eyes widened slightly. "Shikamaru?" he queried quietly.

I nodded. "It's true."

He slowly seemed to unfreeze. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me into a deep kiss that told me he loved me too. Not once did he need to say it for me to know.

Slowly, I started to move, taking us both quickly to climax. We came together.

I may not have needed to hear it spoken, but he said the words anyway. "I love you, Shikamaru."

_[Bitch: Sappy? Yes. Did I have fun writing it? Absolutely. :] Hope my little Jack likes it. Love you, sweetie. :] Leave me a review. And get to work on Axel! To everyone else who read this, please leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you. While I was editing, I came up with a chapter three, so as soon as I can get it on paper, you'll have it. :D This surprises me. Blame a hot Shikamaru with a bloody lip for chapter three. :D Much love, B.]_


	4. The Truth Will Out

_[Bitch: Okay, I lied. I didn't type it as soon as I wrote it. This is actually two months late. :/ Oh well. You still love me, non? Anywho, here's the loverly chapter that I had a lot of fun writing. I like Temari. :D]_

_Disclaimer: Radda. That is all._

_Warning: Depicted as 18 or older... Radda radda radda. I will ignore flames unless they are constructive._

_Shika's POV_

I somehow managed to slip out of his room in the middle of the night without getting caught. Though that was after we'd lain together for hours. Nothing much was said, didn't need to be. I left him curled up in my spot with a smile and a kiss.

Sleeping in cold sheets with no one to cuddle up with is unpleasant, even more so when the person you want to be with is sleeping six doors down. I was so tired that it didn't really bother me like it normally would have.

Waking up to Temari banging on my door was less than fun. She hated starting the day any later than the sun. Two hours of sleep was not enough to deal with a bouncy Temari hyped up on coffee. So, I rolled out of bed as I had gotten into it. Naked. I answered the door only clothed in a scowl and bedhead. "What?"

She gave me a once over, then focused on my face. "Figured you would want some breakfast. Put some clothes on and we'll get going." Her countenance was unaffected except for a small dusting of pink across the bridge of her nose.

I grunted and turned toward my room, leaving the door open. Running a hand through my hair, I heard her say, "Nice ass."

I grinned. "Why thank you." I looked over my shoulder at her. Her cheeks were red. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to have heard her. I laughed and went to find my pants.

I took my sweet time getting ready. It was a petty form of revenge, true, but that's what she got for getting me up before noon. I left my vest and mesh and went with a black t-shirt. Here, I was just another nin. I didn't have to be the brain. I soaked it up. I said fuck it when I looked at my hair. I was too tired to give a damn.

Going into my sitting area, I said, "Alright, you troublesome woman, my ass is covered."

She turned around from the window. She looked me up and down, raising an eyebrow at my loose hair. "No pineapple today?"

I chuckled. "Don't feel like it."

"I've never seen you with it down," she said, starting for the door.

"Very few ever have. Of course, I could say the same about you."

She laughed, leading me to the dining hall. "I only take mine down for three things." She ticked them off as she said them. "To wash it. To sleep, and for another reason that is none of your concern."

I grinned. "Temari, I didn't know you enjoyed the finer escapades of life."

She blushed. "Gaara may be my brother, but I'm not dead."

"What do you mean?" My hackles rose.

"I just mean that watching over and helping him is a full-time job, but I do have down time occasionally."

My temper settled back. "So when do I get to meet the lucky bastard?"

She blushed again. "He's just a normal villager, not a nin. He owns a weapon shop." She smiled when she talked about him and I felt happiness for her. She was a devoted sister that deserved something good in her life.

"Good. We'll go later today then. I want to check out something new."

"Shadows not enough anymore, Shadowmaster?" she laughed. Mirth shone in her blue eyes.

"Shadows only last for so long before I'm spent. Besides, I've been thinking of some new techniques," I explained.

"Interesting. I suppose we can go there during lunch. I haven't seen him in a couple of days."

I nodded as we entered the hall. We grabbed food and found Kankuro at a table with a black haired woman that somehow reminded me of Kurenai-sensei. She smiled at Temari and me. I smiled back, thinking of my old sensei's love. The baby was four now. How I missed my sensei.

"Hey, Temari, New Guy. I was just leaving. I just came to tell Kankuro that I found the Kazekage sleeping this morning! Can you imagine?"

Temari damn near dropped her bowl. I can say that I nearly did too. Gaara didn't sleep. Everyone knew that. It wasn't dangerous anymore because Shikaku no longer resided within him, but he still hadn't slept since his birth except for when Shikaku had taken over. Gaara sleeping... My hands shook at the image.

"What do you mean, 'my brother was sleeping'?" Temari said in a very quiet voice.

"He was sleeping in his bed. I didn't know what to think so I came to find you or Kankuro. I didn't want to wake him." She looked at her watch. "I have to go. I'll see you later. Have to get my papers together."

After she left, we all stared at each other. As if synchronized, we all said, "Gaara slept last night?" at the same time. Laughing, I asked, "What does that mean?"

They both shrugged. Temari answered, "I don't know, but it seems like a good thing. I just wonder what caused it."

"Hey, Shikamaru, what did you do to your lip?" I looked at Kankuro as I touched my mouth. Mischief shown in his eyes. I'd forgotten about the cut Gaara had given me, and, by the looks of it, Kankuro knew exactly what happened.

"Gaara," I answered honestly.

The look of surprise on both of their faces was worth honesty. "Gaara?" Temari asked.

I nodded.

Kankuro spoke up. "Let me guess. You told him and he punched you," he said, crossing his arms and sat back, looking rather smug.

I smirked.

"Told him what?" Temari asked.

I ignored her, favouring her brother. "The opposite actually."

His jaw dropped. Before he could say anything, Temari slammed a hand down on the table. "Dammit, tell me what the hell is going on!"

I looked over at her. "Calm down, Temari." She took a short breath and her face relaxed slightly. I cleared my throat, looking into the eyes of the second scariest woman in the world, trying to work up the nerve to tell her I was sleeping with her little brother. "Last night... I uh... _might_ have told a certain red-head that I'm in love with him." _There. It's out. Phew._

She looked as if she didn't understand, then the light seemed to go on and her eyes widened. "Oh..." Then she punched me.

"Ow..." I said, rubbing my shoulder. I'd expected far worse so I didn't complain.

"That's for not telling me, dickhead. So what happened?" It seemed now that she knew, she was all about wringing the details out of me about her brother's love life.

"He said it back..." I let a small smile settle on my face. "I'm going to hazard a guess and say 'it's probably my fault your brother is asleep'." My ears pinked but I wasn't ashamed.

"Whoa! Too much information!" Kankuro clapped hands over his ears. Temari just smiled.

"Well, since you got him to sleep, go see if you can wake him up." She waved me away.

I grinned and stood. "You're awfully understanding..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Weapon shop," she reminded me. Then, I understood. She was in love with an unlikely candidate, too.

I stood, waved and turned to go find my little crimson headed lover.

- Look! No evil chapter break! ;] -

His bedroom was still semi-dark from the drawn curtains, but I could make out his denser shadow on the bed, burrowed in the covers to his nose. I crept in slowly. I reached the bed. My eyes adjusted to the dark and I could see his fine face, relaxed for the first time in real sleep.

I reached out and slowly peeled back the covers. He burrowed deeper into his pillow, still naked from the night before. I smiled as I slid into the bed beside him. He opened his eyes. It took him a moment to recognize me. "Shikamaru?"

"Yes," I pulled his warm body against mine. "Go back to sleep. We'll talk later." I kissed his nose. "I love you."

He snuggled himself up against me and mumbled those three words right back at me with no hesitation. I threw my arm over his side and kissed his hair. He was already sleep again. I smiled and drifted back to sleep, right where I'd wanted to be the night before, with him in my arms.

_[Bitch: Yes, it's sappy, but I like it that way. It's Christmas Break and I'm sick so there will probably be more fics/chapters than usual. I just haven't had time to post. Alright, leave me reviews and I'll probably update faster. Much love, B.]_


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